
Leasing the Farm
My family farm in Ohio has leased land usage rights to a hydraulic fracking company. In addition to being a place of great personal significance, the farm is also the place where my Grandma lives and has lived for most of her life –with a significant portion of my family living on the land surrounding it. My father grew up on this land and has a deep connection with it.
Fracking on small family farms is becoming increasingly common. There are many factors as to why my family, and many like it make such a drastic decision. The idea that this industry while problematic to the environment, creates jobs in America and boosts the economy. The amount of money paid to just to sign a lease is enough to get most people grabbing a pen. One of the worst problems I have seen is ignoring the harm this type of oil extracting is causing the land.
In this project I want to bring in a personal touch, which most people ignore in debates such as this. I also want to create a dialogue between me and my family in grasping an understanding of why we have such different ideas about this topic.




































All Images ©M Katie White 2016
All images ©M Katie White 2021